Tech

Your drone shopping guide: Top picks for every high-flying need

The rules are changing for personal drone use but owning and flying one is not illegal. You’ll just need to use more care on the prosumer models and not fly them by any landmarks, tall buildings or FAA officials.

With all that in mind, and totally between us, we know you still want a drone for the holidays (or want to give one to someone else, of course). There's a lot to choose from, so we narrowed down the options to help you pick wisely.

Why we like it:Star Wars’ first official, flying Millennium Falcon Drone is, essentially, the dream toy of every Star Wars (original trilogy) nerd. Tiny? Sure. Made of foam? Absolutely. None of that matters because Air Hogs got the details right and when it’s flying, this drone looks like it could make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs."

Since it’s only about six inches across, crawling inside is out of the question and you’ll have to be satisfied with a more traditional RC controller. It works pretty well indoors — though you will need some practice to avoid slamming the Falcon into walls, doors, windows, ceilings and Death Star ventilation ports. Don’t bother taking it outside unless it’s a perfectly calm day; a slight breeze will carry Han Solo’s craft away.

It doesn’t have a camera, lacks precise control and has four big rotors where a lot of the fuselage should be, but if you already have your tickets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you want this drone.

Who it's for: Every Star Wars fan in the universe.

Goes great with: Sphero’s awesome BB-8 toy. Consider all the fun you’ll have chasing around the little robot with your new Millennium Falcon drone.

Better: Parrot Bebop Drone

The original Bebop drone

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Price: $549

Why we like it: Parrot’s been making all sorts of drones for consumers and enthusiasts for years but truly achieved something special with its first Bebop drone. Along with robot-like intelligence that allows it to hover perfectly in mid-air, Bebop is equipped with an excellent 14MP camera that can shoot solid-looking 1080p video. It smartly keeps the image level with a digital gimbal that actually crops out the moving parts of the image.

When we reviewed it earlier this year, it could manage only 11 minutes of flight time per charge. But with the Bebop 2, which ships this month for $549, you’ll get more than double that amount of air-time. It can cruise along at 37 mph and launch into the sky vertically at 13 mph. You can fly the drone with an iPad or, if you’re willing to spend another few hundred dollars, you get the powerful SkyController, which gives Bebop 2 far greater range (over a mile) and more precise control.

Who it's for: People who got bored with drone toys and are ready to take it to the next level.

Goes great with: Apple iMovie, where you can edit your drone videos.

Best: DJI Phantom 3 Standard

Why we like it: DJI is one of the best-known brand-names in the drone business, but it’s also considered somewhat impenetrable for the average consumer. That’s why the Phantom 3 Standard is so exciting. It combines the best of what DJI has done on the pro-side with the simplicity consumers demand.

The Phantom 3 Standard is easy to set up and while it does come with a decent-sized remote control, it also uses your iPhone to tell you all you need to know about the drone and let you see via its awesome camera. The HD camera is on a physical gimbal that hangs off the belly of the drone. Not only does it create rock-steady imagery, you can control the camera tilt from the remote. It also stores the video in the camera on a micro-SD card, which makes it easy to pop-out and plug into a laptop (with an adapter, of course).

The drone has built-in GPS and can fly up to 35 mph. However, while it can fly miles away, the Phantom 3 Standard is, by default, range-limited to keep it within Wi-Fi range (around 325 feet). A good control for inexperienced consumer flyers.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.